Left Brain, Meet Right Brain

Stanley Tong (MBA ‘26) reflects on launching HBS’s first art show.

We spend a lot of time at HBS talking about numbers. ROI. TAM. NPV. Even our social conversations can become subtly transactional: where you’re interning this summer, what case challenged you the most, what leadership role you’re aiming for next. But over time, I’ve come to believe the conversations that reveal the most about a person rarely involve a balance sheet. Rather, they happen when someone opens up about what they create.

That’s what art does. It cuts through the performance and lets you see how people think: how they express themselves, what they value, what they see when they close their eyes. Whether it’s a serious pursuit or just a hobby, art offers a glimpse into the human behind the resumé. That belief — and one serendipitous conversation — sparked the first-ever HBS Student Art Show.

From Idea to Exhibition

The idea was born during a conversation I had with Melissa Renn, HBS’s incredible art curator. We were talking about the Staff Art Show when she casually said, “Wouldn’t it be cool if we had a student art show?”

That one sentence lodged itself in my mind. Could we actually pull it off? I’d never organized an event on campus before. I didn’t know how room reservations worked or what approvals we needed. But Melissa connected me with the right people, including Madeline Meehan, the Director of Campus Activation, and I soon found myself on a Zoom call talking about floor plans, gallery lights, and table rentals. Madeline and her team were amazing. They laid out every logistical step we’d need to take to turn this from an idea into a reality.

With school approval and event support secured, we needed a sponsor. As a member of the Art Society, I reached out to the club leadership, and they immediately jumped on board. I sent out a call for student artists. I thought maybe five or six people would respond.

We got twenty-eight.

That’s when I knew this wasn’t just my idea. This was something the community wanted.

A Team Effort

No art show happens alone. I was lucky to have two friends step up in big ways: Meredith Starrett and Phoebe Weinstein. Meredith is an incredible abstract painter and art evangelist, while Phoebe brought hands-on experience curating and managing photography exhibitions in New York. Meredith spearheaded the marketing and design, creating gorgeous posters that you might’ve seen around campus to help spread the word; Phoebe became the logistical mastermind that transformed a jumbled plan into a well oiled machine; and I handled the other items, which often meant lots of back and forth with the school and artists to make sure we had everything we needed to host the show. 

We weren’t sure what kind of work we’d get, but when submissions started rolling in, we were floored. We had everything from intricate paintings and charcoal sketches to digital photography, ceramic sculptures, and even floral arrangements. The range of talent, styles, and perspectives was unbelievable. No two pieces were remotely alike.

We opened the show on the second floor of Batten Hall, and over the course of the show, we estimate around 400 people came by. It was a constant flow of classmates, partners, faculty, and staff, with each person bringing curiosity, awe, and (for some) disbelief that the person they just saw dominate a cold call had also painted calligraphy inspired horses or captured a vibrant photo of Boston Fall.

Art Beyond the Classroom

One of the most rewarding parts of the day was seeing how much people wanted to engage. This wasn’t a quick walk-through or passive look. People were stopping to ask questions; listen to stories behind the work; and talk about color, texture, memory, and meaning.

As an artist myself, I know how affirming it can be to talk about your work and to be seen not as a student or future business leader, but as a creator. I imagine that feeling was shared by every artist who participated in the show.

“It was great to see a different side of people,” said Katherine Cianciotti. “No mention of 2x2s, ROI, or competitive advantage. The Art Show gave a door to see the world through a different lens: filled with whimsy, color, and imagination.”

RuiLin Guo shared, “What an amazing opportunity to celebrate the creativity of HBS students! I’m so glad to have been part of it, and it’s really inspired me to continue with my painting.”

Karthikeyan Murugesan called the show “a super hit amongst the HBS community” and added, “I sincerely hope that this can be an annual tradition.”

And perhaps no comment captured the spirit of the show more than Niklas Deininger’s: “Being part of such a warm and creative community was truly meaningful. I hope my art could offer a small moment of quiet space and reflection for those who came by. Special thanks goes to Meredith, Phoebe, and Stanley, who took it upon themselves to make this first-of-its-kind event a reality.”

Why It Matters

There’s a tendency to assume creativity and business exist in separate worlds. But every entrepreneur, strategist, or problem-solver is fundamentally an artist. Hosting this show reminded me how much creativity lives within our HBS bubble, even if it’s not always visible. It also challenged my assumptions about what people care about. I was worried that art might feel frivolous in a place obsessed with productivity and optimization, but the reaction we got proved otherwise. People are hungry for spaces that invite vulnerability, imagination, and personal expression, which are all things we need more of in business.

Whether we go on to become investors, founders, or operators, I hope we carry with us the understanding that the best ideas don’t always come from a spreadsheet. Sometimes, they come from looking at the world and trying to make sense of it through colors, shapes, and stories.

What’s Next

My hope is that this isn’t a one-off event. The response made it clear that the HBS Art Show should become an annual tradition. There are already whispers of what next year’s show could look like: more space, more artists, maybe even performance art or interactive installations.

But even if it ended here, it would have been worth it. The conversations I had, people I met, and work I got to see reminded me why I love art in the first place. It brings us closer to ourselves and each other. And for one day on campus, we got to step outside of the frameworks and formulas and explore a part of ourselves that doesn’t always make it into the classroom.

Stanley Tong (MBA ‘26) is an engineer and artist who bridges the seemingly different worlds. A native Texan, he completed his BSE  in Mechanical Engineering from Texas A&M in 2018. Prior to HBS, he led a team to apply industrial 3D printing technology to reinvent the way that vehicles are being designed and produced at General Motors in Detroit. In his art career, he specializes in ceramics and sculpture. His artwork has landed him collaborations with brands, celebrities, and features in several publications and news outlets.